‘Unacceptable and unconscionable’: Democrats slam Biden for initial decision not to raise refugee cap Prominent Democratic lawmakers and top progressives expressed outrage and disappointment on Friday in response to news that President Joe Biden would sign an emergency determination keeping the Trump-era refugee cap of 15,000 — a significant reversal from his administration’s proposal earlier this year to lift the cap to 62,500. But not long after a flood of criticism from high-profile congressional Democrats, the White House backtracked, saying that Biden will set a new, increased refugee cap next month. Prior to that news, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, slammed the Biden administration’s refugee admissions decision as “unacceptable.”